Author Archives: dcaligari

Each year on August 16th, many people at amusement parks and theme parks across the country participating in National Roller Coaster Day which is celebrated on this date. J.G. Taylor received one of the earliest patents (US patent #128,674) for an inclined railway in 1872. In 1878, Richard Knudsen received a patent (US #198,888) forContinue reading “If you don’t get on the ride, you won’t experience the adventure.”

August 16, 1985 –The comedy, Volunteers, directed by Nicholas Meyer, and starring Tom Hanks, John Candy, and Rita Wilson, opened in the US on this date. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson met for the second time while filming this movie. Wilson originally met Hanks in 1981 on the set of Bosom Buddies when she guest-starredContinue reading “Volunteers premiered”

August 16, 1940 –The first of Alfred Hitchcock’s war-time thrillers, Foreign Correspondent, starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day and Herbert Marshall, premiered on this date. Producer Walter Wanger and Alfred Hitchcock clashed repeatedly during shooting. Wanger kept wanting to have the script re-written with every news story reporting changes in the European situation. Hitchcock, who hatedContinue reading “they’re the only lights left in the world!”

August 16, 1941–The Merrie Melodies short, Sport Chumpions, directed by Friz Freleng, was released on this date. Both the phrases “Monotonous, isn’t it?” and “Hmmm, could be!” would be used by Bugs Bunny in numerous future cartoon shorts. They were first made popular by radio comic Jerry Colonna. <br /

August 16, 1930 –Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s first sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, opened on this date. It is about a happy-go-lucky, needy frog, named Flip the Frog. This cartoon was created by Ub Iwerks in 1930. He had drawn a frog and his girlfriend in Night, one of the last Silly Symphonies short films he drew while working forContinue reading “Fiddlesticks debuted”

August 16, 1969 –Eric Clapton’s supergroup Blind Faith release their self-titled album, on this date. On the cover is a photo of a naked 11-year-old girl holding a model spacecraft. An alternate cover with a band photo was issued in America for stores that refused to stock it. Blind Faith was one of the firstContinue reading “It’s already written that today will be one to remember”

August 16, 1962 –The Beatles fired their original drummer Pete Best in favor of Ringo Starr on this date. Afterwards, Best formed a new band and released the album: Best of the Beatles, a play on his own name. This led to disappointment from fans who bought the album without reading the track listing.

Today is the Feast of Assumption of Mary. While the Feast of Assumption of Mary, also known as the Dormition of the Mother of God, only became a Holy Day of Obligation recently – on November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith. In fact, theContinue reading “Remember that most of Southern Europe starts their vacations today”

August 15, 1979 –The very long delayed epic, Apocalypse Now, premiered in NYC on this date. (Order some Banh xeo and a couple of bottles of Tiger Beer, and watch the Redux version, in honor of the anniversary.) It took Francis Ford Coppola nearly three years to edit the footage. While working on his finalContinue reading “That’s my dream; that’s my nightmare”

August 15, 1984 –The cult classic sci-fi film, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, directed by W. D. Richter and starring Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Lloyd, opened in the US on this date. According to Peter Weller, he had a particularly tough time filming the sceneContinue reading “Buckaroo Banzai premiered”